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Alexis Patterson
Seven-year-old Alexis resided with her mother and stepfather, Ayanna and LaRon Bourgeois, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. On May 3, 2002, LaRon walked Alexis to Hi-Mount Boulevard School (located in the 4920 block of West Garfield Avenue near 49th Street) at approximately 8:00 a.m. where Alexis was a first-grade student there; the school is less than one block from the family's home. LaRon said that he watched Alexis walk towards the playground before he headed back to their residence. Alexis never attended classes during the day, although students reported seeing her crying on the playground before and after school. She has never been heard from again. Ayanna and LaRon were not notified about Alexis's absence until after her school was dismissed in the afternoon. They initially believed she refused to attend classes because of an argument she had with her mother. Ayanna said that Alexis had failed to properly complete her homework during the previous evening and she was not allowed to bring cupcakes for her classmates the following day as a result. Authorities agreed with the scenario and said that something may caused Alexis's disappearance after she was seen in the school's playground later in the day. She does not have a history as a runaway and had a perfect attendance record at school prior to her disappearance. The surrounding areas were searched immediately after Alexis was reported missing. Investigators canvassed nearby Washington Park while divers searched its lagoon. Authorities focused on areas near Meinecke Avenue, Vine Street, 16th Street and 60th Street in the northwest section of the city. No evidence was discovered at any of the locations. Investigators announced that Alexis disappeared under suspicious circumstances and reclassified her case from a missing child to a criminal investigation by May 14, 2002. Some of Alexis's classmates told police that they had seen a red truck parked near the school for most of the week before her disappearance. The truck never dropped anyone off or picked anyone up, and it disappeared after Alexis vanished, never to be seen again. It has not been identified and it is unknown if it is connected to her case. Alexis's father, Kenya Campbell, was imprisoned in Milwaukee at the time of her disappearance. He was released shortly afterwards and cooperated with authorities, as did Ayanna and LaRon. Alexis's stepfather, LaRon has a criminal history as well, but investigators announced that they did not believe either he or Kenya Campbell's pasts were connected to her case. In 2003, (a year after Alexis vanished), LaRon failed a polygraph test after Alexis's disappearance and was charged for an unrelated crime; he had a domestic dispute with Ayanna, who had been trying to leave him for some time and he was ordered to stay away from her. Ayanna described LaRon as abusive and threatening towards her, but the criminal charges were later dropped. Ayanna and LaRon have since separated and moved away from the Milwaukee area. In September 2002, investigators announced that foul play was suspected in Alexis's case, but as of 2018, her disappearance remains unsolved. Description Alexis is described as an African-American female with black hair, brown eyes, is 3'8 and weighs 42 pounds. She has a scar below her right eye, a bump on her left pinky finger, her primary & secondary teeth are crowded, her gums are dark in color, and her ears are pierced. She is also right-handed. She was last seen wearing a hooded red pullover nylon jacket with a gray stripe running down each sleeve, a light purple blouse or a blue shirt with horizontal stripes, light blue jeans, blue and white high-top Nike sneakers and cluster-type diamond sunflower-shaped earrings with yellow gold posts. Her hair was styled in two French braids which were pulled back into a ponytail & she was carrying a pink Barbie bookbag. Category:Missing Children Category:Females Category:Black Category:2000's